Epiphone Review: Les Paul Special II

History:

Purchase: I purchased this guitar off of musiciansfriend.com for $240 because I wanted to learn the guitar and I figured that since everyone and their mother has a Stratocaster, I'd try something different.

What I Like About This Epiphone Les Paul Special II: I like the overall feel of the guitar. It has weight to it yet it is still lighter than many other guitars I have played, and I have an easy time wrenching out the notes. The neck is fairly thin, but not as thin as a Strat. The fretboard is very comfortable and smooth. The pickups have a naturally hot sound, and they distort as soon as the gain knob hits 2.

What I Do NOT Like About The Epiphone Les Paul Special II: The output jack is loose, and tends to crackle, especially on a wireless setup. Otherwise, if you swap out the standard strap buttons with dunlop straplocks, it is not a major problem there, but the stock ones are garbage.

Epiphone Les Paul Special II Quality Rating: For the price it is very well made. It is definitely more of a beginner guitar, but still, there are some loose ends, the tuners aren't always reliable, and the frets aren't put in extremely well. But overall, it is quite good

Review Summary: For the beginner or alt rocker on a budget, there's no better guitar in this price range. If given the choice between this guitar and a Highway 1 Strat, I'd take the Les Paul.

Rating of this Epiphone product: 5

This Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Freddy R.

Review Date: 2004-09-22